Currently the two major methods of resistance training to achieve body strengthening and toning are isolation and functional training. Isolation training involves exercises that target muscles of a specific and individual region of the body such as upper body, lower body, or core. The objective with this type of training is to focus only on specific muscles to develop their strength and/or hypertrophy (bulk). While specific muscle groups are worked in isolation, the unused muscle groups are immobile and secured. In contrast, functional training involves exercises that simulate real life situations by incorporating user defined movements that utilize muscles of several regions of the body simultaneously. These exercises are generally performed in a free standing position and without back support to encourage the use of core muscles to provide stabilization while the extremities are being exercised in a coordinated manner. In these types of free standing exercises, the amount of workload that can be sustained during exercise is less than with the isolation method of training due to the increased chance for injuries. For example, when an isolation exercise such as bench press is performed with the user lying on a bench, the chest can take on a greater workload than compared to a functional exercise that also targets the chest such as push-ups. With functional training, as the workload during exercise is reduced, the amount of calories burned and overall muscles development is also reduced.
Although isolation and functional methods are ideally suited for specific fitness objectives, they are inefficient where the primary fitness objective is to use resistance training to burn the maximum amount of calories in the least amount of time, while developing lean muscle mass.
Historically, when resistance training machines were first introduced in the 1950's, the majority of participants were bodybuilders who primarily focused on isolation training to build bulk and achieve muscle definition. Since then resistance training machines have generally continued to focus on the isolation method type of training. With conventional exercise equipment, it has been necessary for fitness clubs to purchase a number of separate exercise machines, each tailored to permit a user to exercise a specific upper, lower or core muscle group. In addition, conventional isolation exercise equipment does not lend itself to the benefits of fuller body exercises, which encourage muscle coordination and the development of core muscles, such as abdominal or back muscles. In addition, performing repetitions using only one region of the body for an extended period of time can be monotonous, and typically does not allow for opportunities to “mix up” exercises as with upper body and lower body in simultaneous or sequential patterns of movement. Increased variety during exercise advantageously enhances the enjoyment of use of the equipment, encouraging the user to workout more intently to achieve the most benefit from each visit to the workstation. In addition to the increased cost and space requirements associated with purchasing a number of different exercise machines, conventional exercise apparatus suffer the disadvantage in that more time is required for users to complete a full exercise regime, particularly during peak periods at gyms.
Certain exercise equipment manufacturers have proposed “multi-function” or universal exercise machines which use a series of pulleys to connect both movable upper and lower body exercising frames to a single resistance mechanism. Such machines are most frequently marketed for in-home use, and continue to suffer the disadvantage that they are adapted to provide resistance exercise to only a single muscle group at any one time. Typically, conventional “multi-function” exercise machines necessitate that the user physically reposition one or more tensioning bands, release pins or pulleys, to selectively connect and disconnect upper and lower equipment frames when switching between upper and lower body exercises. Like existing commercial isolation machines, these multi-function exercise machines continue to focus on the exercise of single muscle groups at any one time as part of a weight training regime.
Both functional and isolation training exercises are accomplished in a multitude of ways such as by using body weight, free weights, exercise machines and so on. When exercise machines are involved, they are generally designed such that a single primary set of muscles (mobilizers) are used to actuate the resistance during each repetition. These ‘primary mover’ muscles generally involve either the upper body or lower body muscles. With movements that involve more than one region of the body as with functional exercises, the resistance provided to the ‘primary movers’ also acts as the workload for other regions of the body. There is therefore, a sharing of the weight by the other regions of the body during exercise. It is not possible, in the case of functional training, to provide customized workload that targets the upper and lower body independently during exercise. An advantage of this feature would be, for example, in the case of many women who wish to utilize a greater workload on the legs than with arms so that they can target their problem areas and not build a heavy upper body, yet use a sufficient overall workload that would allow them to burn a maximum amount of calories during the workout.
Today the majority of participants are not as interested in building muscle bulk or weight gain but on burning calories, improving their cardiovascular system and developing lean muscle mass in the most efficient manner. The applicant has appreciated that the simultaneous use of multiple regions of the body during each repetition using safe biomechanical movements would allow the body to lift greater overall weight in the same period of time, consequently burning more calories and developing lean muscle mass as compared with either functional or isolation training. Furthermore, the benefits from Peripheral Heart Action (PHA), a condition that requires the heart to work harder, as it pumps blood to extremities at opposite ends of the body during upper and lower body simultaneous exercises, may also be utilized. As the heart works harder during PHA, the cardiovascular system is exercised and a greater number of calories are burned. Furthermore, total body exercises allow for a better fatigue management system and encourage muscle endurance exercises that develop lean muscle mass.